IFTN spoke with director and co-writer Mark O'Connor about the release, and what he's currently working on.

“The entire project has been an unbelievable journey for all involved, and I'm delighted that it will continue to have a life on DVD and beyond. There is a 50 minute ‘Making Of’ documentary on the DVD, which includes behind the scenes, and interviews with the cast and crew, and gives an insight into what it was like to make the film – and shooting the film in Darndale!

“20,000 DVDs have been made, which are being distributed around the country in all the stores – Golden Discs, Tesco. Then we’ll see what happens!

Mark O'Connor's film is on track to be the biggest Irish film of 2017 at the Irish box office. The gritty crime drama grossed finished its cinema run with a box-office total of €550,000 from Irish cinemas. Directed by O’Connor and starring John Connors ('Love/Hate', King of the Travellers), Fionn Walton (Out of Here, What Richard Did) and Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank, 'East Enders') Cardboard Gangsters follows a group of wannabe gangsters as they attempt to gain control of the drug trade in Darndale, chasing the glorified lifestyle of money, power and sex.

The film was produced for Stalker Films and Five Knight Films in association with Filmbase and with the support of the BAI, Egg Post Production and TV3 and was distributed theatrically by Wildcard Distribution, with the DVD being distributed by Precision Pictures.

Mark still has his hands full, with the release of the film on DVD, and working on his next project:

“I’m developing some other projects, including six part crime drama for TV3 and Virgin Media – I’ve just finished writing episode six of that – it’s called ‘Darklands’. It’ll shoot next year. Virgin want it to be a major thing for them and a major part of the schedule for TV3 in 2018. We have most of the finance in place, and hopefully shooting that at the start of next year. It’s not cast yet, but we’ll be looking at an Irish and international cast, once the final part of the finance in place. BAI are on board too, and it’ll be produced by Stalker Films and Parallel Films.”